My volunteering in The Netherlands as a Svitac volunteer – Sadmir Nakicevic, EVS
“My name is Sadmir. I’m one of the volounteers who had an opportunity to make a new volounteering experiance in Netherlands.
This represented something big for me, because I had to leave Bosnia for a whole month and live with new people in a new environment, so I had a question in my mind… ‘Have I made the right choice?’ The answer is YES. I met new people and new cultures. I visited fun places, travelled and I had an experience that I will never forget.
The place I stayed at was Den Hague. More precisely a part of Den Hague called Rijswijk. That place is beautiful. It’s surrounded by forest and canals that make the whole place seem so idyllic that you forget that you are just 5 minute bike ride away from the busy city of Den Hague. Some advice for future volunteers: Look out for your stop when you come here. I missed mine when first coming and had to walk back to Don Bosco mansion.
When I got familiar with all the rules and plans of Don Bosco (our receiving organization), everything was easier. We had a programme filled with activities planned for us by the Dutch team for the whole stay. We had to follow it and not be late.
The first two weeks were all for us volunteers. The first two week program was made out of few excursions, some teambuilding activities and few parties. The rest of our stay was meant for the kids that came to Don Bosco youth center. This part was incredibly fun for the volunteers too since all the games and activities were so awesome. My favourite activity was The Paint Day. The day when all the games were connected with paint and at the end of the day everyone was colored from head to toe.
To finish up, the whole experience was unforgettable and whoever decides to volunteer here won’t regret it. I sure didn’t. I made friends not just in Holland but from the whole Europe. This is an opportunity that you cannot miss.”
Sadmir Nakicevic, EVS volunteer, Svitac
July-August 2016
